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Grim Facade: The Cost of Jealousy
Grim Facade: The Cost of Jealousy is the third game in the Grim Facade series. It was developed by ERS Games. The Collector's Edition of the game was released on Big Fish Games on the 28th of February 2013. The Standard Edition was released on March 29th 2013. Story (Warning: Contains SPOILERS) Hugo Sanchez has been murdered in his office. Not trusting the police to handle the case, Hugo's wife, Gabriela, calls you in to handle the case. Upon arriving, you are met in Gabriela's house by your new assistant, Aidan. After the meeting, you begin to talk with Gabriela. She tells you that her husband has been taken to the morgue and that you have free range to search the house. Inital findings give you your first suspect, Gabriela. The motive is jealousy over discoveries of Hugo's affair. The evidence found is the handkerchief, a note in which she threatens to kill Hugo, and a knife set purchased a couple of days before the murder. When you go to confront her about it, she is abducted. While searching the house, you also find an invitation to a play starring Esmerelda Cortez, addressed to Hugo. You decide that you must interview her, so you seach for her address. The address is found in a letter under the matress. When you go to leave the house, Gabriela is shown willingly getting in to a carriage, so you know she is safe, This gives you free reign to interview Esmerelda, who admits that she was in an affair with Hugo before his death. She also tells you that her husband, Carlos. knew about the affair and was angry. She says she looked in his diary after he left for work, and invites you to do the same. Checking the diary gives you your second suspect, Carlos Cortez. In the diary, Carlos writes a note in which he appears to threaten Hugo. During the search of Esmerelda's house, a second piece of evidence is found: A gun. By the time Esmerelda's house has been searched, Aidan informs you that the police have finished searching Hugo's office. You head over to Hugo's office, but the murderer is there already. You manage to get in to the right room, but the murderer is waiting for you. He fires a shot at you, a helmet the only thing stopping you from getting shot. During the distraction, the murderer escapes. Searching Hugo's office gives you 2 new suspects, the final suspects in the game. The first of the two is Esmerelda Cortez. Her motive is the will, in which Hugo left everything to her. The second suspect is Hugo himself. His evidence is a fake passport. Further evidence is found against Esmerelda. There is one piece that definitely links her to the murder. There is a note found that says "I will arrange everything so that Carlos..." You decide to investigate Esmerelda's house further. This is where the pieces start to come together. In a safe in Esmerelda's house, you find a hotel room number and a note. The note gives strong evidence that Hugo and Esmerelda are involved in the murder. It says: "Don't forget to take the key from around Carlos' neck." You then rush to the hotel room to try and catch Hugo and Esmerelda out. But, unfortunately, the man working at the hotel tells you they have already gone. A search of the hotel room reveals a fake beard and a disguise. This, along with the note and Hugo's fake passport, makes you sure that Hugo and Esmerelda are the murderers. Now, all that's left to do is find them. Further searching in the hotel room reveals a ticket. From this, you are able to work out that Hugo and Esmerelda are headed to a train station, but you still do not know where they are exactly. While trying to find them, you meet a gypsy, who says he can tell a person's fortune if you have one of their possesions. You give the gypsy Esmerelda's earings. He reveals to you they are on a train at the train station. You rush to the train station to catch them. You print yourself a ticket and manage to get on to the train just as it is leaving. But you still don't know which cabin Hugo and Esmerelda are in. Aidan tells you that you should pull the communication chord, so Hugo and Esmerelda will come out to see what happened. You do, and Hugo and Esmerelda come out. Esmerelda confesses to being the mastermind behind the whole thing, saying that it was the only way her and Hugo could ever be together. She says that she arranged it so Hugo would kill Carlos and it would look like it was Hugo who was dead, and while everyone was distracted, they would leave together so they could be a couple. Hugo then proceeds to run towards you, trying to kill you, but he trips on the carpet and hits his head, being killed in the process. The game ends there. Reception The game has received generally positive reviews from the reviewers on Big Fish Games. Both the Collector's Edition and the Standard Edition received a 4/5 (as of September 30th 2013). The Collector's Edition is recommended by 78% of the reviewers, while the Standard Edition is recommended by 90% of the reviewers. Praise Most of the praise for this game came for its story. Reviewers praised the unexpected twists and its ability to grip the player. This is what some of the reviews said: "This is a story that holds the attention, arouses curiosity and is very well developed." (Rebr2009) "An excellent and intriguing storyline with a nice Spanish setting!" (Sere82) "The story takes many twists and turns and had an unexpected conclusion." (Catbag8717) Another big point of praise was for the graphics. Most reviewers commented on their clarity and excellent detail, as well as the great character design. This is what some of the reviewers said: "Everything was clear and the artwork was well done." (Catbag8717) "Gorgeous, washeed out art, crisp and clean, imaginative." (JustTheFacts) Criticism The biggest criticism to come from the game was, by far, the ending. One player even called it "one of the worst endings I've ever seen". Players were extremely critical about the abrupt ending, and noted that you needed the Collector's Edition to continue. Players noted that it was unfair that you were made to buy the Collector's Edition for the complete game. Here's what the reviewers said: "Without the Collector's Edition bonus adventure, the story is not complete. It won't come full circle unless one buys the CE." (Jem_Jerrica_Guy) "I am so disappointed in the ending. I felt the story was over before it had really reached the climax. I thought I had at least another half an hour to go. Very disappointing." (secretgamer62) "I did not like the way it ended. It had to continue." (mygames49) Most of the other criticism came for the length, with players angry about how short it was, about 3 hours on the second mode. Players complained that it was simply too short, and were even angrier because of the incomplete ending. Category:ERS Games Category:Games Released in 2013 Category:Game Category:Grim Facade Category:Articles to be Revised